Friday, October 27, 2023
www.towntimes.com
Volume 29, Number 43
Powder Ridge is putting the scare into October By Grace McFadden Special to The Times
to kind of put in different experiences as people come down the hill,” Loffredo said.
You may have heard of a haunted hayride, but have you ever been on a At the bottom of the mountain, visitors can hang out in the Zombie haunted ski lift? Lounge, which has zombie-themed While most visitors find themselves food and drinks as well as live enterat Powder Ridge in the winter tainment. months, the ski mountain and resort has revived its Haunting at the Ridge This is a collaboration with local business Graveyard Productions, attraction for this October. founded by Ernie Romegialli. The attraction, which has been run“We’ve expanded and added more ning throughout the month, leverhaunted features. Encounters with ages the features unique to a ski the dead (live actors) will keep you mountain. on guard all the way down the “(Visitors) take the chairlift right up mountain,” said Romegialli, in a the top of the mountain and through press release. the dark. And you can see down beWhile the Haunting at the Ridge is low and you can hear sounds, all that kind of good stuff,” said Powder designed to be hair raising, there’s an option for families earlier in the Ridge’s Director of Sales and Marday. keting Laura Loffredo. At the top, visitors get off and walk down to brave the horrors on the mountain. “When you descend, you come down on foot through the trails, again, using all the mountain terrain
“We do a family friendly session at 5:30 p.m., and so there’s not as many actors on the mountain. But the chairlift ride is actually – it’s not as scary as it might sound like, when
A night at the Zombie Lounge.
See Haunting, A23
Photo courtesy of Powder Ridge and Stacie Banko, Facebook
Board to seek input from public on grade restructure By Michael Savino Special to The Times
plan for its schools, although no date was set.
School officials plan to seek feedback from parents and teachers as they move forward with a grade reconfiguration plan.
Superintendent Doug Schuch, meanwhile, said he’s already been seeking input from teachers, including asking them whether they would like to continue their grade assignment, and possibly change buildings, or if they’d prefer to remain in their current classroom.
The Board of Education agreed during its Oct. 11 meeting to hold at least one community forum to talk about the reconfiguration and the district’s long-term
The board approved during
its prior meeting to reconfigure the district’s grade levels for next school year. Brewster Elementary School will house preschool through first grade next September, second- and third-graders will go to John Lyman Elementary School, and fourthand fifth-graders will attend Middlefield Memorial. Schuch gave the board his first of what he plans to be
monthly updates, telling members he’s been meeting with the principals at least once a week.
something the district does every year, but started the process earlier given the change.
“Sometimes we’ll have a lot to share, sometimes we’ll have a little to share,” he told the board.
“It sends a message that we’re listening, we’ll do the best we can to provide you with a preference,” he said.
Schuch has already asked teachers about their assignment preferences for next year. Human Resource Specialist Kevin Brough said it’s
Schuch said he’s notified the staff that he can’t promise everyone will get their prefSee Grades, A23